by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP
Event: Project Team Collaboration: Queens Theater in the Park; part of the Architects in Training 2008 series
Location: Center for Architecture, 04.09.08
Speakers: Sara Caples, AIA — Principal, Caples Jefferson Architects; Jeff Rosenstock — Executive Director, Queens Theatre in the Park; David Oldham — Construction Manager, Hill International; Sergio Silveira — Assistant Commissioner, NYC Department of Design & Construction
Organizer: AIANY Emerging NY Architects (ENYA) Committee
The entrance to Queens Theatre in the Park brings visitors in along a spiral pathway leading to an inverted, golden dome.
Caples Jefferson Architects
After touring theaters nationwide, Jeff Rosenstock’s goals for QTiP were simple — provide for a shared and diverse community while creating a sense of awe and wonder. “Queens needs a theater where people can gather for a night on the town,” stated Queens Theatre in the Park (QTiP) executive director Rosenstock.
Currently, there is no place in Queens for a group to meet up, have dinner, see a show, and grab a drink afterwards. Sited next to the New York State Pavilion, originally designed by Philip Johnson for the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, “The Drum” houses the 464-seat main stage and 99-seat studio theater that comprise Queens Theatre. With the help of $20.45 million, Caples Jefferson Architects is adding a 75-seat cabaret performance space, full-service café and kitchen facility, new offices, and a 3,000-square-foot lobby in hopes that QTiP will become a cultural nexus for the borough.
With more than 300 performances annually, it was also important that the theater stay open during construction. Once the NYC Department of Design and Construction, Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Art Commission were on board, the goals expanded. Preserving and maximizing green space, cutting down as few trees as possible, and preserving a sense of history and nostalgia tied to the World’s Fair added to the project’s challenges. With construction manager (and former architect) David Oldham of Hill International, Caples Jefferson expects the project to be complete this year.
For Sara Caples, AIA, principal of Caples Jefferson, the design of QTiP centers on the project’s name: a theater, and the park. The firm did not want to overpower the existing building, so they added pieces that fan out around the central cylinder. The building is on axis with Johnson’s original building, and the two approaches bring visitors in on a spiral trajectory.
The lobby is a transparent cylinder with a ceiling in the shape of an inverted dome. This Nebula, as Caples calls it, is the major feature of the project as it acts as a point of entry, a gathering space, an observatory for the World’s Fair “ruins,” a place to view the park, grab a bite to eat, or even host public and private events. It is meant to enhance the life of the park and feed back into the cultural life of the theater, according to Caples. The golden yellow that coats the dome is a festive color in many cultures, reflecting both the diversity of the theater’s programs and the local community.
Semi-industrial materials that emulate the World’s Fair pavilions are used throughout. The glass façade allows views of the inverted dome, the park, and the ruins. The upper portion of glass around the building’s perimeter is tinted in a pattern that follows the sun’s path throughout the year to reduce heat and glare. Caples Jefferson worked with lighting designer Hervé Descottes to create movement with light; dappled light lines the entry and spirals up to the glowing inverted dome at night.
Ultimately, the project team — including the architects, contractors, clients, and government agencies — expects QTiP to help spur development of the entire Corona Park, making the area a performing arts center. Master planning is underway for the rest of the park, but the World’s Fair pavilions remain in ruins. Caples hopes QTiP will spur enthusiasm to preserve the respected structures.